Philips recently revealed a massive 49” ultra-wide monitor slated for release in the second half of next year. The so-called Philips 492P8 takes the bigger is better approach with its 32:9 aspect ratio ultra-wide monitor based on the same VA (vertical alignment) panel as Samsung’s more expensive (and feature-full) CH90 QLED. With a planned MSRP of $1,077, Philips has cut a few features in its model namely support for AMD’s FreeSync 2 and Samsung’s QLED backlighting. It Is not yet clear whether or not the monitor will retain the same 144Hz refresh rate and high dynamic range (HDR).

The 49-inch diagonal monitor features a 3840 x 1080 resolution and a 1800R curvature. The 492P8 is rated at a maximum brightness of 600 cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 5,000:1. The monitor is based on a VA panel which is a compromise between the fast response times and refresh rates of TN and the colors and viewing angles of IPS (and PLS) with strong contrast, good viewing angles, decent refresh rates (response times can be an issue in gaming as far as possible motion blur), and the ability to crank up the brightness. With the axing of FreeSync 2 support, this may not be the best option for gamers wanting an ultra-wide, but this monitor is sure to find a place in the corporate world with lots of side-by-side windows open in brightly lit office environments. Depending on reviews it could also be good for flight sims, 4X games, and other gaming as well.

The monitor features DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, and USB Type-C display inputs (one each) as well as (using the USB Type-C port to connect to a PC) a two port USB 3.0 hub, one Ethernet jack, and two 3.5mm audio jacks (one headphone and one microphone).

The Philips 492P8 32:9 VA monitor is slated for a Q2 2018 release with a MSRP of $1,077 (C899). OF course, there is plenty of time for specifications and pricing to change between now and then, but it seems Philips is aiming for a budget option under $1100.

I would have liked to see more vertical resolution (I mean, why not at least 1200p? heh) but you can’t have everything, especially for cheap. What do you think about the 32:9 aspect ratio? Also, would you put a 49" ~34 pound monitor on your desk?

The Tech Report previously tested the gaming prowess of AMD's new processor family and are now delving into the performance of productivity software on Ryzen. Many users who are shopping for a Ryzen will be using it for a variety of non-gaming tasks such as content creation, coding or even particle flow analysis. The story is somewhat different when looking through these tests, with AMD taking the top spot in many benchmarks and in others being surpassed only by the Core i7 6700k, in some tests that chip leaves all competition in the dust by a huge margin. For budget minded shoppers, the Ryzen 5 1600 barely trails both the i7-7700K and the 1600X in our productivity tests making it very good bargain for someone looking for a new system. Check out the full suite of tests right here.

"Part one of our AMD Ryzen 5 review proved these CPUs have game, but what happens when we have to put the toys away and get back to work? We ran all four Ryzen 5 CPUs through a wide range of productivity testing to find out."

Microsoft recently posted a new offer that seeks to sweeten the pot for customers interested in trying out the company’s Office 365 Home Premium subscription. Under the new promotional offer, users that purchase an annual Office 365 subscriptions will also receive a year of Xbox Live Gold for free. Not a bad deal, at all considering Office 365 Home Premium is $100 a year and Xbox Live Gold is $60 by itself.

The offer is eligible for customers in the United States who purchase a yearly subscription to Office 365 Home Premium. The promo runs from July 18, 2013 to September 28, 2013. That eligible version of Office 365 Home Premium normally includes a basic suite of Office applications for up to five PCs and five mobile devices, 20GB of additional SkyDrive storage, 60 Skype minutes (per month), and a web version of Office.

With the promo, users can get a year of XBL Gold as well. Once Office 365 has been purchased, users will need to activate the subscription and then log into Office.com/xbox (before October 31, 2013) with the same Microsoft account that purchased the subscription to get a code that can be redeemed on Xbox.com or the console itself for a year of XBL Gold which gives users access to streaming services and multi-player gaming for the company’s Xbox 360 (and presumably the upcoming Xbox One) gaming console.